Ratchet and Clank: Fated for Annihilation
by Stohne Rohse
Summary: Dr. Nefarious' life is not easy. Have you ever been bullied, called insane, or left to die in a pit of gears on what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life? And they wonder why he does the things that he does. And one last act of cowardice delves him deeper into his memories than ever, and he would soon feel the sting of his past. DISCLAIMER IN FIRST CHAPTER.
1. Waiting for Death

_**I, Stohne Rohse, pledge that in no way am I claiming ownership, nor that I created the characters RATCHET, CLANK, DR. NEFARIOUS, QWARK, LAWRENCE, TALWYN in this story. I will never attempt to claim any monetary value nor financial gain from this story. My purpose for these stories is for writing practice in a peer-reviewed environment and for the enjoyment of the fans and users of this site only.**_

I sat sternly with my legs folded neatly and my claws anxiously tapping on my desk. I tried to keep it stifled, but even the blindest squishy could see that I was nervous. I had pushed myself into a situation that I seriously didn't want, and it meant that Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark were on their way to my disaster of a Space Station with intentions that I knew very well. To kill me.

They snuck up here into my sector on their pathetic little Aphelion, blew through all the defenses I had left, then decided they were going to head straight for my lair. I knew exactly what they wanted when they did what they did. They wanted me to feel afraid. And even though it was utterly humiliating to say so, they had done it. I am afraid. I laughed out loud when Lawrence delivered the news to me, but inside, I was practically frozen with fear.

I hadn't fully recovered since my last defeat, meaning there was no longer a functioning fleet, no outer defense perimeters, and there wasn't even enough troops to count as a survey team. I was practically defenseless. And now, three of my nemeses were approaching for an attack. Worst of all, all I could do was sit in my personal quarters and wait for them to arrive.

And it was more painful than feeling your own internal gastro system turn inside-out. Three powerful adversaries all approaching me at the same time with the same intention while I have nothing to defend myself with. But that doesn't mean I would cower in fear. No matter how afraid I really am, I would never let myself become the laughing stock of the villain world. And most importantly, I wouldn't dare give that imbecile Qwark another victory against me. Never again.

The blaring of my security alarms signaled their arrival. I stood up calmly and walked out of my quarters, making sure to take my last looks at my well-furnished room. I doubt that my space station would survive another attack. I walked down the halls with my arms folded behind my back, ignoring the shattering alarms and panicked slaves running past me.

"Sir, they've arrived. What are we to do?" Lawrence was standing by the door, keeping it closed against Qwark's pounding fists on the other side. His voice was his typical deadpan, but even I could hear the panic hidden in his tone.

"Step away from the door, Lawrence." I commanded, keeping my voice low.

"But sir-!" Lawrence tried to object.

"Now." I said austerely, barely keeping myself from raising my voice. I needed every last drop of energy. This time, Lawrence did as I asked and stepped away from the dented metal door. I waited quietly until one last blow from the attackers on the other side sent it flying from the doorway and just a few feet above my head. I was greeted with Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark all in aggressive stances with their weapons ready, be it a wrench or a pair of fists. Either way, resentment was thick in the air.

"Nefarious." Ratchet spat, his long ears laid back and his teeth bared. I crossed my arms, observing each of them individually.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. The squishies," I taunted, making sure to keep my fear hidden. "I haven't done anything this time. What is it you want?"

"You've terrorized the universe long enough. We're ending this now, before someone else gets hurt." The Lombax hissed at me with a voice cracked with grief. I smirked to myself slightly, realizing he was referring to Talwyn. I had taken care of her in a matter of moments during our short fight, leaving her with a nearly torn-out throat. Unfortunately for me, the squishy didn't die like I had intended, and now all her friends wanted me dead for what I had done.

It was a thrilling experience to watch her writhe about in a pool of her own blood, worth more than all the bolts in the universe.

"Oh, you're upset over that? What can I say, she attacked me first." I growled, bringing my arms down to my sides and slowly extending my hidden green blades. Ratchet snarled at me, then rushed forward, raising his wrench above his head. I ducked under his Lombax weapon, then fully unsheathed my own weapons. They made a shrill swiping noise as they sliced the tense air in which they arrived, their power flowing up and down the wiring in my arms. I brought them down in front of me as Ratchet stumbled to regain balance, but only hear a shrill clang as the blades collided with the floor.

I drew them from the metal quickly, then counterattacked Ratchet's quick comeback. Our weapons crashed together, causing sparks of green energy to fly from my blades. Ratchet let out a grunt, and in this small opening of vulnerability, I kicked him backwards into Qwark, toppling both of them.

"AH HA! I FORGOT HOW MUCH FUN IT IS TO HURT YOU!" I cackled, readying my body for another round of hand-to-hand combat. While Ratchet and Qwark tried to recover, the one to attack me next was none other than Clank. The Zoni's son ran at me and tried to land some attacks on my lower body, and all I had to do was backhand the tiny robot out the door out onto the landing decks.

"CLANK!" Ratchet gasped, running after his friend, leaving me alone with Qwark. The president looked up at me with an utterly horrified look. I smirked, stepping towards him as an act of intimidation. Luckily, this coercion caused Qwark to jump up and chase after Ratchet. I waited until they were gone to turn my head slightly.

"Lawrence. Get yourself out of here. Take the escape pod to one of the nearby moons. This might get ugly." I commanded to the butler who had long since taken cover. My butler stood up from behind a fallen table and nodded once.

"Sir, what about you?" He asked, just before heading off into the depths of the ship. I chuckled quietly to myself.

"Let's just say I'm taking care of some old business." I said as I made my own way out to the empty landing decks. Ratchet was huddled over besides a fallen and mangled Clank, while Qwark stood shivering besides him. I stepped towards them with my blades held belligerent at my sides. Ratchet looked up at me, even more grief-stricken from before.

"Damn you, Nefarious..." He snarled, standing up and drawing a Constructo Pistol from his holster. My eyes lit up at the sight of his weapon. But I didn't stare at the gun for long, as I could now stare at what I had done to Clank. There was a dent on his chest that was leaking a thin stream of oil down his body onto the metal beneath him. Besides him, Qwark finally decided to man up and shakily draw a pistol of his own.

"Bring it, squishies. Let's see if you can escape the cold hands of death _this_ time."


	2. It Will Never Be Over

Qwark was the first to act, rushing at me with a profound aggression. The oaf reached out his giant hands to throttle me, but I ducked underneath his outstretched fingers and uppercut him in the chest, throwing him onto his back behind me. He let out a massive grunt as he landed, and I suspected he wouldn't be able to get up again for a few moments. I turned to face Ratchet, who immediately began firing Constructo Bullets at me. I ducked around each one, realizing that my only choice now was to charge towards him. I raised my blades, then brought them back down, only to collide with the barrel of Ratchet's gun as he used the pistol to block.

I held my position as well as I could while the young Lombax pushed against me. I shot him a grin, feeling him struggle to keep standing against my own strength.

"Still think this was a good idea?" I cackled, starting to push him back towards the edge of the platform.

"I'll...kill you..." The Lombax growled through gritted teeth, his glare locked in mine. Then I felt a gargantuan hand grab me by my flight stabilizer wings and lift me into the air. Ratchet fell to his knees, gasping for breath. I tilted my head backwards to snarl at my attacker. It was none other than Qwark, and he had his pistol pointed at my head.

"Don't you move, Nefarious, or I'll shoot." He threatened. I tried to keep my glare steady, but the sudden flares of pain in my back kept me from staying silent. I shrieked, suddenly thrashing and swiping my claws all around. Qwark didn't expect this, and I suddenly felt my body be hurled out of his grip and into a metal wall. In my back there was a sudden burst of pain, then there was nothing but the sensation of something warm and sticky.

I looked at my back, and found my wings were gone, replaced with flying orange sparks and spurts of black oil. I looked back at Qwark, who still had my wings in his hand. Without even looking at me, he dropped them off the ledge and shook my mechanical life-blood off his hand.

"How _DARE_ you!" I snarled, standing up and just barely keeping my energy blades in working order around the horrendous pain in my frayed back. Ratchet and Qwark looked my way, a hatred in their eyes.

"It's over." Ratchet growled, sprinting my way with his pistol ready to fire. Creating a quick strategy, I rolled out of the way of the incoming bullet, then slashed at the air, hoping I had my calculations correct. The pained grunts and shower of sparks proved success. I had knocked Ratchet's gun clean out of his hands, throwing him to the floor in the process. _Excellent._

While the Lombax was vulnerable, I rushed towards him, making sure to snatch the pistol off the floor as I came, seizing him by the neck and shoving him into the wall of the station. The Lombax let out a dismayed cry, reaching his hands to his neck to try and pry my claws free. As a response to his feeble attempt to escape my grasp, I tightened my claws around his neck, feeling the sharp points pierce his soft skin and draw blood. Ratchet gasped for air, his lower body going limp.

I made an attempt at a smile, but the pain in my back was giving me unwanted thoughts. Bad thoughts. _Lethal_ thoughts.

"Nefarious! Let go!" Ratchet hissed, his tail lashing back and forth.

"Typical squishies. Stupid and naive. You think this is a game?" I growled, feeling my voice crack with pain. Ratchet took in another labored breath as I tightened my grip once more, feeling his warm blood flow into my metal palm.

"Nefarious...d-don't...let go...you won..." Ratchet panted. Something flickered inside of my mind, immediately letting my fear take over.

"But that's where you're wrong. I'll never win. No matter what I do, you'll ALWAYS BE THERE TO HUMILIATE ME!" I no longer had control over what I was saying. The thoughts had taken over. "YOU NEVER UNDERSTOOD ME! NEVER! NOT A SINGLE ATTEMPT! I WAS LEFT TO DIE, RATCHET! DO YOU HEAR ME!? LEFT TO DIE!" I screamed, increasing my grip more and more. Judging by Ratchet's terrified and confused expression, he had no idea what I was talking about. Not that I knew much of what I was saying, either.

"Let him go!" Qwark's commanding voice shouted from behind me. I snapped my head around to glance at him. The green-clad president stood just a few feet away, shakily holding his pistol out in front of him. I stared at him for a mere moment, before I subconsciously lifted Ratchet's Constructo Pistol, and shot him square in the chest. Qwark let out a cry of pain, stumbling backwards. Dark red blood immediately pooled out of his wound.

I turned back to Ratchet, my finger still on the trigger.

"It will never be over." I whispered, lifting the gun to my own head without even thinking about it. Ratchet gave me a horrified look, and that was the last thing I remembered before I squeezed the trigger, and went spiraling into darkness.

XXX

I watched in horror as the maddened doctor pulled the trigger on my pistol, sending shards of glass and droplets of oil flying from the wound. His eyes remained open for just a moment before the glowing red dots blinked out and his grip on my throat loosened.

I stood up and jumped away from the lifeless robotic shell, examining it quickly to make sure he was truly dead. The gears and various devices in his head were still, and the blue lights in the tubes on his chest were dimming quickly.

_Dr. Nefarious is dead._

* * *

><p><em><strong>All I can tell you is that the last four words were from Ratchet's point of view...<strong>_

_**-Stohne Rohse**_


	3. Where Am I?

I awoke to a world of nothing. There was no light nor sound, and the air around me was a bitter cold. The world in front of me was a blurred wall of darkness, and as my conscious returned, the image became sharper, and I felt life return to my body.

Feeling the circuits in my chest whirr into life, I sat up and looked around. Light slowly poured into the cold area, illuminating a strange, hollow world filled with strange, floating tubes and other unusual objects that floated about the empty space.

I looked down at my hands, then at my body, then at my back. There wasn't a single wound or drop of blood. It was as if the battle had not taken place at all. _If that was the case, then where am I? Am I dead?_

I stood up, then took a shaky step forward onto the invisible floor. It was like standing on air. There was nothing beneath me, and it made me feel sick to my internal gastro-structure. If I fell...

_No._

_No, don't think about it._

I took another step forward, holding my hands a ways from my body for balance. Looking ahead, I noticed a giant holo screen floating in front of a large, black abyss. I approached with caution, carefully laying my eyes on the holo screen, which immediately flickered on as I did.

On the screen, I saw my Space Station and Lawrence, whose mouth was moving, but no sound could be heard. I stared for a moment before the screen cut to something else. It showed myself storming down a hallway, tripping on a duster and falling down a short flight of stairs. I tilted my head. I can remember that happening. This screen was playing back my memories. _But that could only mean...is this...my subconscious?_

I turned away from the screen back to the black abyss in front of me. It didn't appear to be a black hole of any kind, just a large, energy field. I took a step closer, sweeping my optics over the pitch black energy. Something about looking at it felt familiar, as if I should know what it is. As if it was beckoning me.

Without thinking about it, I reached a claw away from my side and held out my hand to the energy. It was is if there was a magnetic attraction between my hand and the abyss, and I couldn't bring myself to pull away. My hand got closer and closer until I touched the energy, and watched as everything went pitch black.

It was dead silent inside the blackness, and it felt unnerving to be wrapped in such a stillness. However, the tranquility fell away as quick as it came, and I was dropped flat out of the air onto a hard sidewalk. I hissed with pain, immediately pushing myself to my feet and darting my eyes all about where I had been taken.

I was in a city's suburbs, standing on the sidewalk of a nice neighborhood. The sun was shining and a warm breeze blew through the air in between my claws and inside my scar, tickling the gears in my head. It was a pleasant day wherever I was, and judging by the many different creatures roaming the streets, it was midday. I looked around a moment longer before I heard a panicked panting from somewhere behind me.

Turning around, I saw a young boy, maybe 13 or 14 years old, with his arms full of books and papers. The boy had a large head, blue eyes, pointed ears, and a mouthful of silvery headgear that reflected the sunlight like a mirror. He appeared frightened as he ran down the street, not even noticing the papers flying behind him as he dropped them.

He sped past me without a single glance, and I couldn't help but watch as he got further and further away. I watched him disappear down the street, feeling something inside of me tell me again and again that I should know him from somewhere. He was so familiar, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't recognize him.

I turned back around, trying to spot what had this boy so terrified, but only seeing the empty street. What had him so preoccupied? I suddenly felt the urge to follow him.

I sprang into action, taking after the boy as quickly as my robotic legs would allow me. I caught up with him in a matter of moments, and saw he was quickly approaching a neighborhood fence. The boy skidded to a halt in front of the wooden barrier, then took on a more panic-stricken expression. He looked left, then right. It was fenced in on all sides. His breathing quickened, and he desperately began racing around the closed area, looking for an opening. But when he heard a familiar voice exclaim from behind, he whirled around, his eyes wide with terror.

"Ha ha! Gotcha!" A mocking voice called from behind me. I turned around to face the voice that had frightened the boy so badly, only to see a much younger looking Captain Qwark. His appearance immediately tensed my jaw. The arrogant fool stood with his chest puffed out and his face twisted into a smug grin. His eyes were locked firmly on the boy behind me, and he seemed as if he had not noticed me. I clenched my fists, stepping forward and opening my mouth to speak. But before I could utter a word, Qwark took a step forward, walking right through me as if I was a ghost.

Chills ran down my body, causing my limbs to freeze for a mere moment before I nearly collapsed to my knees. What in the world had just happened?! He...walked right through me as if I was vapor. He didn't even see me! What kind of world is this?! I whirled around, feeling my gears whirr quicker as my anger grew.

I opened my mouth to speak again, so I could tell Qwark how much of an imbecile he was, but only finding myself able to open and close my jaw as if I was saying the words I intended, but hearing no sound. I pressed a claw to my throat, feeling around for damage, but finding nothing. It was as if I was locked in a vacuum. A soundless vacuum that only effected me.

"I've got you now, headgear freak!" Qwark cried, taking another step towards the boy, who was pressed up against the fence as far as he could go, shaking like a leaf.

"Qw-Qwark...I just want to go home!" The boy responded quickly, dropping his books on the ground so he could hold his hands up in the air as a signal for surrender.

"Without taking your daily challenge? I don't think so! Remember, I've got a perfect memory, and I know when one of my students skips out on their test." Qwark exclaimed, cracking his knuckles. The boy let out a quiet whimper, cowering low to the ground and watching helplessly as Qwark kneeled to the ground to scoop a stone up out of the dirt. He held the rock in his giant hands, turning it over again and again and examining it with a gleam in his eyes.

"I think today's challenge will be...a nice rock shower!" Qwark came up with the name quickly, the antenna on his head perking up at the revelation. The boy's eyes widened upon hearing the words.

"N-no! Please don't!" The boy cried, holding his hands in front of his face as a feeble attempt at protecting himself.

"Ready? Set? Go!" Qwark laughed out loud, hurling the rock forward at an incredible pace, clocking the much smaller being square in the forehead. All my circuits jumped as the stone made contact with the fragile skull. I whipped my head around towards Qwark, instinctively reaching out my claws for his neck.

A voice in my head was screaming all kinds of insults and threats, and I wished greatly to let them loose. No matter how many times I cursed the stupid bastard, my claws still passed through him as if he was air.

Behind me, the boy let out a yelp of pain, immediately throwing his hands up to the growing bruise on his forehead, while Qwark leant to fill his hands with more rocks from the ground.

"Fire one!" Qwark let the rocks fly from his fists. There were more cries of pain as the boy huddled up on the ground behind me.

"Fire two!" There was another shower of rocks. This time, no sound came from the boy on the ground.

"Fire-" Qwark was about to let another fistful of rocks fly, but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard his name be called from across the street. The man turned his attention away from the boy on the ground, dropping his rocks.

"You guys! You missed today's test!" Qwark called to the strangers down the road.

"We had stuff to take care of! C'mon, my mom said we can play holo-games at my house!" A voice called over. Qwark perked up, turning his back on me and the boy and stepping forward.

"Sweet! I'll be there in a second! Heh, see ya tomorrow in fifth period!" Qwark spat at the boy before he took into a happy skip down the road to join his friends. I growled as I watched him go, wanting so badly to chase him down and tear off his arms.

Dropping the thought with an irritated snort, I turned to face the boy, who was curled up into a tight ball in the dirt with his hands on his head. A few moments after Qwark disappeared, the boy sat up, a thin trickle of blood running down his bruised head. His blue eyes were wet with tears, and every so often he would sniffle as he went to pick up his ruined books and papers.

I felt disdain well up in my inner circuits. Why was I even here? To watch these squishies? How was this important?! It...felt important...like I was meant to see this...but why? Why is Qwark here? Who is this youthful squishy in front of me? Where have I found myself?

I shook myself back into reality, only to see that the boy had gone, and was slowly walking down the street with one hand around his belongings and one hand on his forehead. I walked after him, examining his movements. Once again, my inner works were whirring madly, telling me over and over again that I know this boy. But it couldn't be true...I've never seen this boy before in my life! He's just some squishy!

...isn't he?


	4. Not Just a Squishy

As I followed the boy down the street, I became increasingly more curious. I thought squishy children were supposed to be excitable and happy and energized. This boy was anything _but_ energized. His movements were slow and groggy as he limped down the street, never looking up from the ground. I followed close behind him, watching as he nonchalantly limped around obstacles and other children.

His journey took a long time.

It was dusk by the time he reached his destination; a small house at the very end of the street. I stood at the end of the driveway, watching as he stepped up to the door, pushed it open and walked inside. I hesitated, then followed him in. Inside, it was just like anyone would expect a squishy home to look like. Casually furnished with bright lights on the ceiling. I looked around for other squishies in this place, but found none. Instead, I turned my attention back to the boy, who had already began up the stairs.

I scaled the stairs before he did, and watched behind me as the boy slowly ascended, his eyes barely kept open due to the crying he had done earlier. When he reached where I was, he took a right down the hall, opened a door, entered, then quickly shut it. I blinked a moment before I let myself in through the closed door, fazing through it as if I was mist. When I entered, another pang of familiarity hit me like a dart.

There were various math and science posters strung up on the walls of the room, as well as ornate blueprints for various things. On the floor were bountiful amounts of paper, and the garbage can in the far corner was overflowing with crumpled up sheets. This boy must be a patron of science. It would have been admirable if he wasn't a squishy.

The boy stood in the center of the room a moment before he walked to his bed and collapsed into a sudden burst of lament. I flinched at the abrupt action, feeling my eyes be eerily tugged to look at the boy as he sobbed. The longer I watched him, the more sickly I felt inside.

What was this feeling? Pity? Remorse? Whatever it was, it made me feel as if my life was draining away. I want it gone.

I growled, clenching my fists and turning away from the boy.

This squishy has no significance to me whatsoever. Why am I here? Why am I forced to watch this? What importance does it hold?

I growled again, throwing my claws out in front of me to try and hit something even though it was pointless. My anger was too much to hold.

However, to my surprise, the shelf in front of me had been affected by my blow, and fell onto the ground, showering the room with papers and pencils. The crying behind me stopped immediately.

I gasped, turning to face the boy and found he was looking straight at me with wide, tear-filled blue eyes. Can he see me?

The boy stared for a long while before standing up and taking a slow step towards his fallen shelf. I stood completely still, watching as he did not take his eyes off of me the entire time.

"H-hello?" The boy huskily whispered, his speech slurred slightly through his headgear. I tilted my head, taking a step back and fazing through the fallen items.

The tug of his eyes on mine was eerie. It felt as if my soul was draining from my cold, robotic optics into his living, shining blue squishy eyes. It hurt worse than having my flight stabilizers ripped from my back. It hurt worse than having my head be cracked open by a Constructo-Bomb. It hurt worse than having my circuits be overloaded with energy.

Yet, at the same time it was _so familiar!_ Who is this boy?!

I stepped forward to get a closer look at him, and found he didn't move.

He can't see me.

I sat down on my haunches to be at eye level with the boy, and stared straight into his eyes, reading his expression.

I couldn't take the feeling any longer. I need to know who this boy is.

I looked deep into his wide blue eyes, finding misery, isolation, anger, torment, despair...

Then my body froze, all except for my gears, which were whirring frenetically.

In the gleaming eyes of this squishy, I saw my reflection, and everything clicked.

This boy is me.

* * *

><p><em>Hej det, my lovely readers!<em>

_Just wanted to let you know that this is probably going to be the shortest chapter in the story._

_This one was kind of difficult for me, and I **almost** hit a writers block._

_Luckily, I didn't, so yay hooray, right? :)_

_Please review!_

_~Raven_


End file.
